Throughout history, seeds have been planted in many different ways. Perhaps the earliest method of seeding was the hand broadcasting of the seeds onto the ground. Another method of seeding in the past was to poke or create openings in the ground with the seeds being dropped into the openings and the ground then closed thereover. In recent years, seeds such as corn, milo, wheat, barley, oats, etc. have been planted or seeded by the "drilling" or drill press method. In the drill press method, the soil is normally first prepared by plowing or harrowing. The drill press is then used to plant the seeds in rows. A more recent variation of the conventional drill press method is to plant the seeds in ground which has been "minimum tilled".
The primary disadvantages of the conventional drill press seeding method are that it is time consuming and requires rather expensive equipment. A further disadvantage of the conventional drill press seeding method is that the soil becomes compacted due to wheel tracks and the like. Still another disadvantage of the conventional drill press method of seeding is that the equipment cannot be used when the ground is wet. Yet another disadvantage in the conventional drill press method is that one crop must be harvested before another crop can be seeded.
In an effort to provide an improved method of seeding, attempts have been made to seed or plant through a center pivot irrigation system. The use of a center pivot irrigation system to plant or seed eliminates the need for the equipment normally used to mechanically plant the field. In the February 1985 issue of the Deere and Co. publication entitled "The Furrow", it was reported that a single span center-pivot irrigation system had been used to plant corn some time during 1984 at the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experimental Station in Tifton, Ga. The experiments at the University of Georgia experimental station at Tifton were also reported in the May 1985 issue of "Irrigation Age". In an article entitled "Far-Out Farming" in the Apr. 11, 1985 issue of "Machine Design", a suggestion was made that an irrigation rig could till, plant, irrigate and apply chemicals while unattended.
A problem associated with seeding through a center-pivot irrigation system which apparently has not been previously addressed is achieving uniform seed distribution. Inasmuch as a center-pivot irrigation system travels around a center-pivot, some method or means must be devised to ensure that the outer portions of the irrigation system, which are covering greater areas than the inner portions of the system, will apply the seeds at the same rate/acre as the inner portions of the system. A further problem associated with seeding through an irrigation system is efficiently conveying the seeds to the sprinklers on the system. A further complication is the fact that different types of seed are heavier than other types of seeds. A further consideration in seeding through an irrigation system is to prevent damage to the seed as it is being delivered to the sprinklers.